Dane Penland/Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Space Shuttle Discovery on display at the Smithsonian.
Days after being sworn in as the head of NASA, Jared Isaacman indicated uncertainty regarding the move of the Space Shuttle Discovery from Washington to Houston.
Congress allocated $85 million as part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” to move Discovery from its current home in the Smithsonian to Space Center Houston, the nonprofit visitor’s center of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. In order to do so, the Smithsonian estimated it would need far more money. The national museum also warned that such a move could do irreparable damage to the space shuttle.
Speaking in late December during an interview on CNBC, Isaacman said those factors could inhibit relocating the space shuttle.
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“My job now is to make sure that we can undertake such a transportation within the budget dollars that we have available and of course most importantly ensuring the safety of the vehicle,” he said. “And if we can’t do that, you know what, we’ve got spacecraft that are going around the moon with Artemis II, III, IV, and V. One way or another, we are going to make sure the Johnson Space Center gets their historic spacecraft right where it belongs.”
Though officials in both Washington and Houston are preparing for Discovery’s relocation, the allocation only makes reference to a “space vehicle” being moved to Houston. Under the definition used by the federal government, that means any vehicle that flew in space and carried astronauts — a label that applies to more than just Discovery.
Texas’ two Republican senators, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, have led the effort to move the space shuttle to Houston, which they called its “rightful home.” Both voted to confirm Isaacman to his position as the head of NASA.
Representatives for Cornyn and Cruz did not immediately return requests for comment Monday.
In a December post on X, Cornyn said he supported Isaacman’s nomination, citing “his commitment to bringing Space Shuttle Discovery to [Space Center Houston] where it belongs.”